This invention relates generally to air conditioners and, more particularly, to an air conditioner for the rooftop of a bus.
In order to maintain a healthy environment inside an air conditioned passenger compartment of a vehicle such as a bus, it is necessary to bring in a certain amount of outside air to replenish the air stream within the vehicle. Thus, a supply of outside air is introduced and mixed into the supply air stream of the air conditioning system, while at the same time a portion of the return air from the vehicle is allowed to pass through the condenser coil and flow to the outside. As the fresh air is introduced into the interior of the passenger compartment by way of the evaporator coil, it must be filtered to remove contaminants that may be present from the exterior road environment.
In addition to the filter, it is also common to provide a grill at the inlet for the fresh air opening with, the function of the grill being twofold. First, it provides protection against the entry of coarser materials such as debris and the like, into the fresh air inlet flowstream, a portion of which passes to the condenser coil, and a portion of which passes to the evaporator coil for replenishment as mentioned above. Secondly, the grill provides for human safety near the rotating air moving devices.
While both the filter and grill are considered important functions to such a rooftop air conditioner, it is desirable to reduce the number of parts, and therefore the cost and complexity, of the system. This reduction in parts is made more difficult by the need to periodically move and replace the filter and also to hold the filter in its installed position.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an improved air conditioning system for a bus rooftop.
Another object of the present invention is the provision for reducing the number of parts in the air conditioning system.
Yet another object of the present invention is the provision for fresh air filter that can be easily removed and replaced.
Still another object of the present invention is the provision in a bus top air conditioner for retaining a fresh air filter in its installed position.
Still another object of the present invention is the provision for a bus rooftop air conditioner that is economical to manufacture and effective and efficient in use.
These objects and other feature and advantages become more readily apparent upon reference to the following descriptions when taken in conjunction with the appended drawings.
Briefly, in accordance with one aspect of the invention, a cavity or pocket is provided to removable receive a filter, and a grill is positioned near the filter such that a portion of the grill structure acts to engage the filter and hold it in its installed position.
In accordance with another aspect of the invention, an L-shaped grill is hingedly attached near the filter, with one arm acting as a closure for the fresh air intake opening, and the other arm coming to rest against the filter to hold it in place when the grill is in the closed position. To remove and replace the filter, the grill is simply hinged openly, to thereby allow the filter to be removed and replaced.
By yet another aspect of the invention, that portion of the grill which closes the air intake opening has an extended free end with, a plurality of attached guide vanes which, when the grill is in the closed position extend toward the condenser blower to thereby act as an air diffuser section for the air that is being discharged from the condenser coil.